Hair Excursions
by Tifa Tyndal
Summary: Series of OneShots all about the thing that the beings in Inuyasha seem to have a lot of: hair. Third OneShot up! Title: Tangled. Summery: Rin is fighting one of her toughest enemies. Can, and will, Sesshomaru help?
1. To Your Enemies

**- **

**To Your Enemies...**

**Part of the Hair Excursions series by Tifa Tyndal**

**Summery: **There, he's done it. Naraku has captured Kagome. Yet, in one odd way, he's underestimated her.

**Disclaimer:** Ok, so I don't own Inuyasha. So sue me. Wait! No! Don't sue me! Please?

**Spoiler Warning:** Uhm. I don't think that there really is any spoilers. Oh! You should know who Kanna is and... of course who Naraku is. And knowing about Kagome would be nice also... heheh. But if you've started Inuyasha and you haven't heard of any or some of these people you may promptly believe that I have made them all up.

**Author's Note:** Yay! This will be my very first updating story!... kinda. This is going to be a series on what seems to be a very important issue to the people in Inuyasha: hair. All the fics here will be about hair some way or another. They might not share anything more in common. Though... it might be interesting to do a sequel if people want one... Oh! And this one here is not in any way, shape, or form romance. Just thought you might like to know that. So, my Author's rant-er-note has gone on long enough. I shall let you get on to one of my favorite things I've ever written!

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He'd captured her, he'd actually done it. Right under Inuyasha's nose too.

_I bet Inuyasha is furious,_ Kagome thought to herself as she casually eyed Naraku's newest castle. The windows were covered heavily giving Kagome no idea of where she was, and since she had just woken up she knew she would never know how to get back, if she ever so wished.

The air was thick with dust yet still extremely dry. Kagome didn't figure that the fact that the castle was made of splintering wood was helping any. She sneezed. The place seemed so abandoned. It wasn't though, Naraku sat still in the middle of the room. He was forming "puppets" so carefully and precisely that he didn't even seem to notice when Kagome sat up.

"Uhm," Kagome mumbled before she could stop herself. She was still groggy from being knocked out by Kagura's wind and it was taking her a bit to come back to earth... or where ever she was.

As Kagome slowly blinked to get her bearings she wondered silently what Naraku was going to do to her. _If only I could find a way to..._ Kagome struggled to express in her thoughts what she wished to achieve. She supposed that she wanted to pacify him, do something nice for him. Keep him from having an urge to kill her or something like that. _What could I do to put him in a good mood-Ah Hah!_ A small smile crept on her face and she turned in search of Kagura. Kagome found her leaning up against the wall looking bored and resentful.

"Kagura..." Kagome started quietly walking up to her. Kagura turned slowly to her and Kagome lowered her voice to a whisper that she supposed Naraku wouldn't even be able to hear. "Would you please get me a bucket of warm water? Any container would do, really."

Kagura looked at her suspiciously.

"If you do this for me I can almost guarantee it will put Naraku in a better mood. Please?" Kagome looked at Kagura anxiously.

Kagura sighed and gave in. "Alright," in a flash she was gone.

Kagome smiled at the place Kagura was and went in search of her bag. She hadn't taken it off all day and she guessed that it had ended up at the castle with her. She was pleasantly surprised when she found it in the corner looking as if it hadn't been touched. With much effort she dragged it to a spot about three to four feet behind Naraku and sat cross-legged beside it, waiting.

Kagura arrived a few minutes later with a basin of softly steaming water. Kagome quietly motioned for her to put it down directly behind Naraku. Carefully Kagura did so then quickly retreated against the wall to wait and see what this strange girl was doing.

Kagome shot a smile in Kagura's direction and set to work. First she cupped her hands and lifted a small amount of water up before sprinkling it in the air to settle the dust. After seeing that the air around her was mostly dust free she shuffled through her bag. Triumphantly pulling out a small bottle of perfume she poured a small amount into the clear water, effectively filling the air with a light fragrance.

Breathing in deeply Kagome saw Naraku's shoulders tense. Her breath caught but Naraku didn't turn around so she continued carefully. Ever so gently she reached out and took Naraku's hair in her hands and placed the bottom half of it in the water. Then, taking a small empty bottle from her bag she wetted the rest of his thick, gnarled, hair. A few flies and other small bugs that may or may not have been lice (Kagome determinedly didn't think about that) flew out of his hair as she poured the fragrant water over it.

Once his hair was satisfactorily damp Kagome retrieved a bottle of shampoo from her bag. She poured a rather large amount into her hand and lathered it into her arch nemesis' hair. It took a bit it get the lather going, so oily was his hair (she doubted that he had ever gotten it washed). So, after she had washed the best she could she rinsed his hair once again using her small bottle to reach the upper half of his hair. It was a slow process that made Kagome's arms ache but she continued determinedly, knowing that this, very well, may be her last hope.

Once the suds had been washed away she washed it a second time. This time the oil had already been washed out and she was able to wash the dirt out. The water turned black with the grime that had once inhabited Naraku's wavy mane.

Kagome stared down at the water. No way was this water going to serve it's purpose anymore. Tensely, she brought her eyes over to Kagura's spot against the wall only to discover that Kagura was once step ahead of her. Quickly, Kagura replaced the first tub with a new one.

Kagome smiled her thanks and poured a little more fragrance into the water. Following that, she rinsed his hair again to make sure it was clean then went looking for the conditioner that she knew was in her backpack.

The whole time that Kagome had washed Naraku's hair he had sat perfectly still. Nary moving a muscle, as if he was paralyzed. Kagome pondered this as she pushed a few packages of Ramen aside in her search. She had always enjoyed it when her mother had washed her hair when she was younger and still enjoyed washing her own hair. It was something about the warm water running down her scalp, neck, and then settling in her hair. Then after her hair was clean she just felt like a whole new person. Everyone loved a good hair-washing She supposed that Naraku wasn't any exception.

Finally Kagome held up her bottle of lavender-scented conditioner. Once again a large amount of substance would be needed. She filled her hand with the sweet-smelling, moisturizing conditioner. Once she actually got it in his hair she could hear an almost inaudible gasp from her subject and, figuring that the conditioner was cold, slowly added some steaming water to his hair. Her response was a sigh that she was sure Naraku didn't mean to escape his lips.

After massaging the conditioner in well, Kagome let it sit for a few minutes while she searched for a comb. Since she had spent the good part of the last hour with his hair in her hands she knew first hand that his hair was a tangled mess. She would need the conditioner as a lubricant in order to properly detangle the hair. Once she found her comb she slowly and gently set to work on the mass of snarls. Starting on the bottom Kagome slowly worked her way up his hair handling it more carefully than she had anything in her life. One uncomfortable tug could spell death for her.

It took another hour but Kagome finally managed to comb Naraku's hair to be so soft that it felt like a newborn's soft tresses. After rinsing out the conditioner Kagome herself was at awe at how amazing Naraku's hair could look. It was even more beautiful than Sesshomaru's. It was soft and thick and wavy and... it smelled so good. Kagome smiled happily at her handiwork and then taking up her comb and a small towel alternated between combing his hair and patting it with the towel. Soon it was dry.

Finally, as a last touch, Kagome took out her brush and brushed his hair until it was smooth and shiny. Kagome was downright proud of herself. In all the other times she had seen him his hair had clumped together from the dirt and oil and looked downright disgusting. But now, now it looked perfect.

Slowly Kagome put her things back in her bag then held her breath, waiting for a response.

-

Naraku decided that he had never enjoyed anything so much in his life. Who knew that the simple task of getting one's hair cleaned would leave one feeling so refreshed? The only problem was that he was now in her debt. She seemed to have cast some sort of spell over him and for just a couple of hours he was in bliss. There was only one thing left to do.

"Kagura," His deep voice didn't have it's usual malice. "Please escort Miss Kagome back to her friends."

Kagura didn't even bother to hide the shocked look on her face. Neither did Kagome. Nevertheless, they both got up and prepared to leave.

"Oh, hold on," Naraku stopped them and quickly got up, slipping a piece of cloth over Kagome's eyes. "We can't have you telling anyone where our hide-out is, can we?"

Kagome seemed to resign herself to that and shrugging, let Kagura lead her out of the castle.

Naraku went back and sat in his usual spot in the center of the room. He called Kanna in so he could keep an eye on Kagura and Kagome's trip. Meanwhile he went back to the task he had abandoned: making his "puppets". After a while, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kagura let Kagome off some fifty feet from her friends and in a spur of the moment decision he told Kanna to follow Kagome.

He saw Kagome slowly making her way to her friends' campsite and witnessed the happy reunion. After the initial excitement Inuyasha and the others began to question Kagome and after she replied timidly Inuyasha seemed to get really angry. Pretty soon Inuyasha was face down in the dirt in the fashion that Naraku had seen so many times but never understood. It filled him with pleasure nonetheless.

Naraku dismissed Kanna and fingered his hair, sighing deeply. Kagome had really done a good job. And he had repaid her. They were even. That stupid little girl had outwitted him that time.

Still... his hair smelled so good.

-

"_But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." _

_-_Luke 6:27, The Bible, _New International Version_.

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**THE END**

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So... here it is! I actually wrote this right after I had just taken a shower and washed my hair. You see, I have very long and very thick hair so even though I'm not a professional on hair care I have had quite a bit of experience with it. I hoped you liked it... or at least thought something of it. Even if you despised it, thank you so much for taking the time to read my writing! God Bless! -**The Author**


	2. Plaited

**Plaited**

**Part of the Hair Excursion series by Tifa Tyndal**

**Summery: **She couldn't resist... it seemed so inviting

**Disclaimer:** You wouldn't want to sue me, would you? I mean... even if I _did_ claim to own Inuyasha... would you even take the trouble?

**Spoiler Warning**: There really isn't much of a spoiler warning here.. just the usual... know the names... it's just a drabble anyway.

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Kagome sat up late... just watching.

It looked so inviting... she knew that she shouldn't.

If only she could touch... she snatched her hand away and reprimanded herself harshly.

She knew if she did Miroku would tease come morning. Even though Shippo might not understand the full extent.. he'd tease too.

Her hands itched. Oh! She wanted this so bad!

She tried to close her eyes and forget it... as if trying would help.

_Oh, mother, _Kagome thought anxiously towards her mother from whom she was separated by many years. _What does one do in this situation? Surely you must understand this longing!_

Kagome's brow wrinkled... _maybe just a little_?

_A little will turn into a lot and before you know it you'll have done it all,_ her mind nagged and she tried to tune it out.

_But it'll be good to get it out of my system! I'll feel much better!_ She tried to reason with herself when she gave up on tuning herself out.

_But how will he feel?_ Her mind countered.

Kagome sighed, that was right. He probably wouldn't feel too good after and by chain-reaction, neither would she.

Was a few minutes of happiness worth all that followed?

_Yes._ Kagome smiled and gave into her immense desire.

Inuyasha woke up the next morning, his hair full of braids.

**-**

**THE END**

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Heh... Here's my second drabble! I hope you liked it! And cookies to anyone who knows what the title means! -**The Author**


	3. Tangled

**Tangled**

**Part of the Hair Exertions by Tifa Tyndal**

**Summery: **Rin is fighting one of her toughest enemies. Can, and will, Sesshomaru help?

**Disclaimer:** Whoa, almost forgot this thing. Now, I'm not so sure I should say that I don't profit from this because I certainly enjoyed writing it! How about 'I didn't get any money for writing this'? Well, I didn't. And I don't hold legal possession for the manga/anime _Inuyasha_... uhm... illegal possession either!

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"Argh!" Rin grunted as she struggled with her newest enemies. They were persistent and almost impossible to defeat... she hated them. Anytime she ran they just increased in numbers and some got bigger. The more she fought the harder they become to defeat. She had to accept losing for now.

Rin sighed and gave up on trying to get the tangles out of her hair. She had wanted to comb out her hair to make it look pretty but she hadn't been fingering her hair for long when she realized that it was going to be almost impossible to get all the knots out unless she shaved her head. This was not a option. However, she refused to give up for long and searched for a new tactic.

Sitting up straight on Ah-Un's back Rin looked around for something new to use instead of her clumsy fingers. She didn't have Jaken around to ask advice of for Sesshomaru had sent him off on some odd errand. Sesshomaru walked a few yards ahead of Ah-Un but Rin knew that it would be assuming to much to ask him for advice. So, she kept on looking. All see saw were trees.

_Maybe a branch would do it!_ Rin thought excitedly and broke off the nearest one. The branch er-branched out making an ideal looking comb. Rin tried this, starting at her scalp and moving downwards. The branch gave one futile effort and broke. Rin whimpered. What was she going to do now?

Thankfully, unbeknownst to Rin, Sesshomaru had heard her struggles. He, for one, knew exactly how to get hair untangled since he dealt with untangling his own on a daily basis.

Normally he wouldn't give a human's struggle a second thought but Rin was different. Very different. She was so pure and sweet. He didn't know it and if he did he would never admit it, but he loved her as a father loves his daughter. So, naturally he'd do anything for her. This was no exception. Except for the fact that her human hair really was pathetically tangled... On the other hand, he was obliged to take care of his ward...

"Ah-Un, stop," His words were blunt and of course his rather large animal stopped. "Rin, we will camp here for the night."

Rin looked up with happiness. Her hair troubles forgotten momentarily, she slid off of Ah-Un. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru." She smiled sweetly at him.

Sesshomaru, mindful of Rin's weak human body, quickly started a fire and set a batch of wood large enough to last through the night, beside it. Rin, who had eaten recently, wasn't hungry thus didn't need to cook food over the fire, yet still, the warmth felt nice. She grinned.

"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru, for the fire," She whispered and blushed slightly with the realization that he had made it solely for her.

A few minutes passed and Rin found herself contemplating her hair again. What exactly was she going to do with it? It annoyed her to no end. Taking her index and middle finger she drew them through the ends of her hair and sighed. How she wished her hair was smooth and untangled like Lord Sesshomaru's!

Sesshomaru's eyes flitted up at the distraught girl and suddenly, his decision was made. "Rin," His deep voice held a commanding tone. She looked up at him and watched as he gracefully got up and sat beside her. "Turn."

Rin, confused, turned so that she was facing Sesshomaru.

"No," He corrected her. "The other way."

Rin turned so her back was toward Sesshomaru. "Why, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"You are having trouble with your hair, correct?"

Rin nodded. "Yes, Mi'lord. I've got these knots and tangles I can't seem to get out." Small tears of frustration gathered in Rin's eyes. "Rin tries and tries but nothing happens. It doesn't work!"

Sesshomaru understood her plight. Only after strict training was he able to train himself to care for his own hair. But even then he took tips from his father when he was alive. He couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for Rin, her human hair being so weak and liable for breakage. "I know." He stated quietly. Then, he did something that he wouldn't have dared done if anyone else was present. After quickly disposing of her miniature ponytail he gently stroked Rin's hair. _This is worse than I thought, _Sesshomaru mused momentarily then began to separate the hair into sections.

"Wha-?" Rin said, almost sobbing from her earlier confession. But she wisely didn't ask anything else. _Lord Sesshomaru is doing my hair. I mustn't distract him._

Sesshomaru finished dividing Rin hair into three sections that he could work with and then from somewhere in his robes he pulled a firm brush. He had made the brush himself out of rare substances that were, in fact, so rare that no one had named them. All he knew was that they were tough but flexible enough to brush hair nicely. Truly, he used the brush exclusively for himself but this one time, he made an exception...nothing else was going to work.

So, steeling himself for a battle with knots he gently took hold of the nape of the far left section and held it there firmly. He was careful not to pull on her hair more than a small tug and to hold it evenly so that he didn't pull on one hair more than the rest. He knew that hurt a lot more than if he were to tug on a handful of hairs.

Then, slowly, he started at the ends of her hair and brushed downwards, noticing how clean her hair was, even if it was snarly. _She must wash it every chance she gets._ He thought absentmindedly.

Pretty soon he ran into a large knot that didn't seem to want to be brushed out. He knew what to do in this instance. Sesshomaru let go of the section and flipped the other two sections over her right shoulder so he could concentrate solely on the knot. First he ridded his claws of any and all poison then took the ends of his thumb and index claws and rubbed the knot from both sides, trying to loosen the knot. After a bit of working at it, it was loosened to his satisfaction and then, starting at the bottom of the knot, scraped his claws along the knot coaxing it down the length of Rin's hair where it fell out of existence. Sesshomaru smirked in triumph. True, taking a knot from a young girl's hair wasn't that great feat but it still held a certain degree of satisfaction.

Once he got the rest of the tangles out of most of the section he started where the hairs met her scalp and brushed downward. He heard a small grunt of Rin and knew he was pulling more than usual but it couldn't be helped. He tried again to force the knots so close to her head to come down further so he could work with them better. Rin grunted more and he knew he was simply pulling too much. Finally he placed his hand where the hairs met her scalp and pressed them there to lessen the pain as he worked with the hair further down. This was successful as he heard a relieved sigh from Rin.

_That's a good girl._ He thought. _I'm sorry to hurt you._

Pretty soon the whole section was free of tangles and he was able to flip it over Rin's left shoulder and set determinedly at tackling the remaining two sections. They went quicker than the last one seeing that he knew Rin's hair better and was better able to work with her weak human hair without pulling too much. This was so much harder than brushing his own hair.

Once all the sections were free of tangles independently he tried to brush them together. This was difficult seeing that any tangles missed showed up abundantly. These tangles were the worst and he knew that it would be better if he cut a few of the hairs so as not to pull too much.

Sesshomaru grimaced slightly. He hoped this would be alright with Rin. If he did it carefully enough she wouldn't notice but he still hated cutting her hair. Especially since she didn't have that much in his opinion. Nevertheless, he took one of his sharp claws, and focusing on the knot cut a few of the most troubling hairs. After this, the knot fell out nicely. He did the same procedure with the remaining knots and pretty soon her hair was tangle free.

Sesshomaru smiled slightly to himself and began to brush her hair out so it would shine nicely. He started this time on the top of her head so that he would be sure to get all the natural oils that her hair produced and comb them down through the rest of her locks.

Pretty soon her hair was smooth and shone with a brilliance that he even found himself envying a little. As a final touch he retrieved a ribbon he'd gotten for Rin in the previous town out of his pocket and tied a small partial pony-tail on the right side of her head. Then, he took out a small mirror and held it in front of the small girl.

Rin gasped. She had never seen herself so... beautiful. Her hair shone beautifully and the ends of the ribbon mingled gently with it. She never knew Sesshomaru could do such wonderful things with hair. She was speechless for a few moments then suddenly burst out: "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru!" Disbelief and wonder filled her voice.

Sesshomaru nodded and began to get up but was stopped by Rin's arms hugging his waist. "It's wonderful. Thank you so much. I love you, Lord Sesshomaru." He voice was muffled slightly by the fabric of his clothing but somehow he understood every word.

Sesshomaru inwardly blushed. Was this all it took to thrill Rin? The simple act of brushing her hair? And what was this feeling coming over him telling him that he would brush her hair forever if only she would react like this? He shrugged it off but decided to brush her hair more often... it was relaxing at least.

After removing Rin from his person Sesshomaru stood up and stretched lightly. Sitting down and leaning over for that long could take a toll on anyone, even if he was as strong as Sesshomaru was.

Pretty soon after he stood Rin yawned deeply and seemed to be looking for somewhere to sleep. Sesshomaru didn't like to have his handiwork mussed which would happen if Rin choose to sleep on the group per usual. So, he did the first thing he could think of: he gave her something else to lay her head on. He was sorta surprised at himself when he choose his outer clothing for her to lay on and his leg for her pillow but that's how it ended up.

He stayed awake all night... just watching her and occasionally running his hand through her hair which, he had to admit, _was _wonderfully smooth and beautiful. _Not as nice as mine._ He thought raising his eyebrows. _But still... somehow or another, her human hair is, beautiful._

-

**THE END**

**-**

This one was fairly easy to write for the most part since I have plenty of experience with tangled hair. Nevertheless, it was slightly hard to keep Sesshomaru in character. If he's too terribly OOC then let me know and I'll try to improve in the future. : )** -The Author**


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